Ceramic and glass business news of the week

Schott North America, Inc. announced the creation of Schott Defense, legally known as Schott Government Services, LLC, marking the final stage in the planned strategic separation between Schott North America, Inc. and its defense segment. As part of Schott Defense’s formation, General Michael Williams, USMC (Ret.), Dr. Marvin Sambur, and General John Corley, USAF (Ret.), will bring years of defense and manufacturing expertise to the company as Outside Directors to the Board. The company has been a leading supplier of advanced and high-performance glass technologies to the U.S. defense market for more than 40 years. Schott’s highly durable glass and glass-ceramic materials and components are key enablers for a broad range of military equipment, including tactical wheeled military vehicle armor, night vision systems, directed energy programs, and sensitive ordnance and missile systems.

Magma Ceramics and Catalysts announced the successful commissioning of its new ceramic manufacturing facility in Vietnam, which is now open for business. The new 6000 square-meter facility is located between Hanoi and North Vietnam’s main international sea port, Haiphong, and is intended to strengthen the company’s capabilities in the manufacture of refractory ceramic products used in the glass, alloy and steel industries. The facility will also act as a platform for growth in the South East Asia market, and is strategically located to take advantage of Vietnam’s burgeoning petrochemical industry. David Collinge, has been appointed general manager to oversee operations at the new facility. He brings significant regional, technical and commercial ceramic manufacturing experience to the company.

A key 3M patent for lithium ion battery nickel-manganese-cobalt cathode technology has emerged from reexamination at the US Patent and Trademark Office with all original claims being confirmed as patentable and with no amendments (U.S. Patent 7,078,128). NMC cathode technology is widely used in lithium ion batteries for consumer electronics and electric vehicles. The patented technology enables lithium ion battery makers to design electrodes for specific applications for optimum balance of power, energy, stability, and cost.

(glassbytes.com) Safelite AutoGlass announced it recycled more than 1 million windshields in 2013. Windshields are not commonly recycled because they are made from laminated glass, which is created using two sheets of glass with a clear resin interlay of polyvinyl butyral between. The resin interlay keeps the glass together when damaged, but it is also difficult to separate the glass and inner plastic layers. Additionally, the logistics of returning windshields to a recycling plant are challenging. In 2012 Safelite AutoGlass implemented its windshield recycling program in partnership with Shark Glass Recycling North America. Using patented technology, laminated glass from Safelite’s customers’ windshields is crushed to separate the glass from PVB. Approximately 90 percent becomes glass cullet, which can be recycled into new products, and approximately 7 percent becomes PVB scrap, which is reprocessed into pellets and recycled into products, such as carpet backing, paint and primer, and other plastic products.

(Gigaom) Solar power crashed its way onto the US power grid last year and is now fundamentally changing the makeup of how energy is being produced and consumed. It is becoming a mainstream power source. According to a new report from the Solar Energy Industries Association and GTM Research, solar power had another record year in 2013, with 4.75 gigawatts of solar energy systems installed, including 2 gigawatts in just the fourth quarter alone. That made solar the second largest source of new electricity generation in the US last year, only behind natural gas. New natural gas made up almost half of the new electricity built out, solar made up about a third of new electricity, and wind delivered about 7 percent of new electricity. New coal power only made up 10 percent of the total.

(GreenvilleOnline.com) Cincinnati-based manufacturer Meyer Tool plans to expand in space and employees in Greenville. Meyer Tool Inc., a high-tech company that supplies precision components to the aerospace and gas turbine engine industries, plans to renovate and upfit approximately 85,000 square feet of space it has bought, according to an announcement from the Greenville Area Development Corp. and the South Carolina Department of Commerce. The company initially will invest an additional $5 million and add at least 50 new jobs, the announcement said.